Rail-joint.



PATBN'TBD MAY 7. 1907.

G. w. WHTEMAN.

RAIL JONT.

AYPLIOATION Pimm D110. 12. 1906.

JWM@

W! TNESSES UNTTED STATES PATENT4 onirica RAIL-JOINT..

Speel. cation of Letters Patent.

Patented May '/7, 1907.

Application lea December 12, 1906. smal no. 347,441.

fc all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WHITE7 MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a full, clear, Aand exact description, reference bein had to the accompany-ing drawings, of w 'ch- Figure 1 1s a vertical section of a rail showing a pair of my improved splice bars in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of rail. splice bars Vor joints having a vertical limb' bolted to the web of the rail, an outwardly extending limb contiguous the uper surface of the foot iange of the rail, and an lnwardly extending limb therefrom underlyin and contiguous'the base of the rail. A sp ice bar of this general type is illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 427,017, to John Speicher.

It has been found, vin practice, very difl cult to secure uniformit in lthe rolling of the rails and splice bars of t type to be used in connection therewith, so as to give a perfect fit of the splice bar .to the foot iiange oftheA rail; for the height of the rails between the under side of the head and the uppersi'dev of the foot flange will frequently vary considerably, so that when the splice bars are bolted to the rails, the foot flanges of the rails, en gaging the under lsurfacesof the outwardly extending members thereof,..and 7jthe u per surfaces ofthe inwardl extendingl mem ers, will act as wed s`, an frequently break the splice bars at a out the plane ofthe meeting of said outwardly extending and inwardly extending members," that is, in approxi mately the plane of the base ofthe foot Harige; the tendency of the wedge action of the cot flange being to force apart the saidv two members of the splice bar, thus forcing downwardly and outwardl the inwardly extending member. Andif t is splicebar isnot broken, as hereinbefore mentioned, the inner edge of its. inwardly extending member will be forced downwardly and outwardl to a considerable angle to the plane of the rail base. Also, as the'hfunder surface ofthe outwardly extending member of the splice bar is contiguous the upper surface of the foot flange throughout substantially its entire width, it frequently occurs, owing to the thinness of the floot flange near its outer edge,

that, under the strain,. a portion of said foot ,'5

flan e is broken oii'.

e object of my present invention is to obviate the foregoing difliculties.

To this end, the invention-consists in constructing the s lice bar so that the under sur- 6c' face of a consi erable portion. of its outwardly extending member shall not eng Cfe the foot iian e of the rail.

T e invention also consists in' making the weakest portion of said splice bar at a line within the vertical plane of the outer edge of said foot flange. 4

The invention further consists in certain details hereinafter specifically pointed out.

-In 'the drawin s, 1, 1 are the rails, con- 7o nectedby the sp ice bars or joints, 2, provided with the usual vertical members, 3, through which -the.usual securing bolts 4, pass; said vertical limbs having the upper inclinedsurface, 3, conforming to the under 75 side of the rail head, and having also the inclined lower surface, 3", conforming to and enga the upper surface of the foot iiange, 5.- x'tendin outwardly from the lower ortion of sai -vertical member, 3, is a mem- 8o er, vfwho'se under surface, 6a, as seen in Fig. 1, is'out of contact with the upper surface of the foot'iian e, 5, of the rail said surface, 6a, extending om the surface, 3b, at a` lsmaller angle to the horizontal, thereby affording a c earance between it and the upper,

'surface of the footilange, 5. Said outwardly extending member', 6, is bent'ndownwardly and inwardly in the usual' manner, to form the inwardly'extending member; 7, beneath 9o the foot liange of the rail, and whose 'upper plane surface, 7, conforms't and engages the under surface of said. foot iiange. The outwardly extendin member, 6, is made weakest at a vertica plane within the plane of the'outer edge of the foot flange, 5, preferably at.the'portion marked x in Fig. l, approximately where'said member 6 joins the vertical member, 3, of the splice bar.

In ttin shownin t e drawin s, should the distance* between the head an foot flanges of the rail be slightly greater than the height of the vertical member, 3, of the splice bar, thus necessitatin that the letter be drawn by the H5 bolts, 4, c oser to the web of the rail, instead of the inwardly extending member', 7, being forced downwardly andoutwardly by thev the splice bars to the rails, as

.i vweakest,portion.ofthe splicel bar being at the I surface of said foot flange and vwhen the foot l f member, 7,.'willyield'slightly tovpermit the ltheinner edge 'of said member and assists in foot 1 flange, 5,'with the corresponding 4Q;

'l tance 'considera v` myself thereto, I would, preferably have .Sti

aaa-.faam of Substantially equtrwidm so ".'f thaitrthere would be notendencyofthe splice l bart0 tilt', on account of unequalr bearing Wedge action of the lfoot flangefof the rail, thereby frequently breaking the splice barat about the lun'ction of themembers 6 and 7 o`win tot e clearance between the surface',v 6a, o .the ymember 6,-and the upper surface of .the vfootigi'lar'i e,. and also on account of-the @.pointagfas hereinbefore referred t'o, said out--V "waardig-extending member, `6,will flex ydown-f v, ieffavartllyfrein the :said weakest oint, and in# y therebeing lan'yte'n encycf th'e memberVVA jt move away .from theunder sur'- faceof thefootflanga, of therail,V said mem- .58117, will ytendto'cling closer thereto. l

vy,Inj.rollingfj splice bars, .:I vwould 'usually 1`1'ri.ake'the''sameA sotthat the distance between the-surfaces 3bandlaisslightly less than the f thickness of the `rail .foot'ilangeg so that the sp-lice baris to be fitted to v.a raillhaving a t 'nner foo'thiiange'tlan the normal, vthe sur- Vfac'e, 7a, will alwayscontactwith the under filangeis of the ncrmalthickness, reason. fof the weakest' portion :of the 'splice .bar being in member 6, as hereinbefore mentioned, the

l'insertion'. of .the foot ii'ange'between the sur- .facesb and 7**,1the latter'surface closely conf tacting. with the Under surface of said foot flange; it vbeing'desired- Ithat'the under 'sur-A 'lfa'ee ofthe foot flange and the surface "7@ of -f the splice4 ,bar shall always bein'close. con tact... I also usually ,prtwid'eI the inner edge of the member, 7,"'With a reinforcing rib, 8, extendingbetween the, ties', "9,1`which stiffe'ns y reventing its downward 'displacement'. By .avingthe contact 'of the'uppersurfac'e of aplicaban 2, onlyfor a dis" l 'within'. the-plane of the 'uteredgeof saidyfootiianga 5, I 'also pre- 4entanytendency,'under strain, to breakI off hcfouter portion of said foot flange. f. I remark that, although I do not wish, to

surface ofthe 1 ,fthefcontaet 'of thespliee bar 'with the' upper, `sur/face of the foot flange,'5, equal to the ,con- {ftactfjofthe under side ofthe headof the vrail wi ilfjt'hejftop of the .splice bar; that is,' I jwoldpiefer that the contacting` surfaces, 3*"

L; 54. surfaces.

Having 'thus described `my inveiitiomA-I y claim' as new and desire to secure by Lettersv Patent 1. A rail joint-comprising a vertical 'meme ber having upper and lower surfaces adapted to bearrespectively against the under side of ythe head andthe upper side of the foot of a rail, the outwardly extendin member Whose lower surface extends from t e lower surface of said vertical member at a smaller angleto theY horizontal than said surface, together' with the member extending downwardly and inwardly from ,said outwardly extending member, and Whoseupper surfaceis substan; tially lane and horizontal; ,the weakest portion o said joint bein Y in said outwardly-extending member,

iin the plane of the meeting point of said outwardly and inwardly extending members.

2 '1 A ra-il joint comprising a verticalmember having upperand lower surfaces vadapted to bear respectively against the under sideof the head and the upper side of the foot of a rail, the outwardly extending member Whose lower surface extends from the lower surface of said vertical member at a smaller angle to the horizontal than said surface, tovether with the member extending downwardly and inwardly from said outwardly extendingr member, and whose upper surface is substantially lane and horizontal; the weakest portion of.) said joint being in said outwardly exi tending member, adjacent its junction to said vertical member.

y 3.- A rail joint comprising a vertical membe'r having upper and lower surfaces ada ted to bear respectively against theunder si e of 'the head and-the upper side cf the foot of a rail, the outwardly extending member whose .lower surface extends from the lower surface,

of said vertical member at a smaller angle to the horizontal vthan said surface,l together with the member extending downwardly and inwardly from said outwardly extending member, and whosegupper surface is substantially plane'and horizontal; the thinnest sec IOO tion of said outwardly and .inwardly extend K ing members being inA the outwardly extend-n ing member, adjacent its 'junction to sald vertical member.

In'testimony whereof,` Ihaye hereunto affixed my signature. A i

- A I .1.: GEQRGE-WQWHITEMAN. Witnesses: i y i I .WALTER C. PUsEY,

SAnI-E I. HARPER. 

